Carbon capture critical to Europe's economic future

Oct 27 2017

Speaking at the Europe Middle East and Africa (EMEA) CCS Forum at the Port of Rotterdam, Global CCS Institute CEO, Brad Page, said CCS is the solution to a raft of climate, economic and social problems.

Climate change leaders meeting in Rotterdam have heard that carbon capture and storage (CCS) is instrumental in decarbonising European industry and creating a new energy economy across the continent.

"We are now at a critical juncture. CCS can no longer be a peripheral player in the climate change debate. To reach Parisclimate change targets, and create sustainable economic and social economies, CCS must be part of a mainstream, multi-lateral mix of 'must-have' clean technologies."

Mr Page, who leads the world authority on carbon capture, says CCS is tailor-made for Europe where myriad industrial hubs and clusters exist.

"It is the only technology capable of decarbonising major industrial sectors such as steel, cement, fertilisers, refining and petrochemicals and it is the conduit to a new energy economy of clean and sustainable energy across all forms including hydrogen, bioenergy and the raft of CO2 reuse applications."

Speaking to more than 100 attendees representing industry, government, academia and NGOs, Energy Future Initiative CEO, Dr Julio Friedmann, said CCS must be deployed swiftly and at scale if the world had any chance to make rapid reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

"One key application is in heavy industry which produces 21 per cent of global emissions. Another is on the new, highly efficient coal plants built in Asia and Europe which will have long lives and eat up the carbon budget quickly, as well as natural gas plants which are becoming the mainstays of the power sector.

Dr Friedmann said the technology is proven, its commercial case is cogent and the climate science is unequivocal.

"We simply cannot reach a 2-degree world, let alone anything less, without it. The question is, are we really smart enough to do what we know needs to be done."

Also speaking at the Forum, Port of Rotterdam CEO, Allard Castelein, said calculations by the IPCC, IEA, and a recent Wuppertal Institute study commissioned by the Port, supports the fact that CCS will play an indispensable role in our climate change future.

"CCS is certainly necessary for Rotterdam. Our local industry is responsible for close to 20% of total CO2 emissions of the Netherlands. A large share of these industrial activities concern products that - at least for the time being - lack viable zero-emission alternatives. CCS and CCU form the most effective methods for swiftly scaling back CO2 emissions."

There are currently 17 large-scale CCS facilities in operation around the world, with four coming on stream within the next 12-18 months.

CCS in 2017 - Global CCS Institute Status report: Paris climate targets cannot be met without CCS .. An implementation plan for CCS in Europe
Review of 2017 - Petra Nova was one of the highlights
Evaluation of the NET Power low carbon power process.....